Writer Keith Giffen impressed with his opening bookend for the Annihilation event, and the launch of this limited series is almost as entertaining. Giffen manages to overcome the greatest liability of cosmic stories and characters, as he's able to bring them down to earth in this action-packed script. The writer not only provides an exciting and colorful physical conflict, but some inner turmoil for the title chasracter to contend with. Artist Renato Arlem, though boasting a distinctively different style than that of Annihilation Prologue artists Scott Kolins and Ariel Olivetti, still manages to maintain a consistent tone with that introductory special.
The Silver Surfer continues to track the Annihilation Wave through the cosmos, and it leads him to the debris of Xandar, homeworld to the interstellar police force known as the Nova Corps. It's also the former home of a one-time Herald of Galactus, Gabriel the Air-Walker, and that's why Annihilus's Seekers have managed to track and assault him there. The Surfer rushes to his brother's aid, only to discover that the Power Cosmic wielded by all of Galactus's heralds is exactly what has led to the purposeful destruction across the galaxies.
Arlem's art is actually a little rough around the edges, seemingly better suited for grim-and-gritty fare, not the shiny sleekness of the Silver Surfer. But somehow, it works. The colors help to convey the Surfer's gleaming, serene nature, but the grittier qualities of the art convey the ugliness of the events. Though the art is understandably inky, Arlem still conveys just how much damage Air-Walker has taken. Despite the small size of this issue's cast of characters, I still had the impression these characters were immersed in a war, not a cosmic super-hero adventure.
I'm surprised that Giffen has revealed such an integral part of Annihilus's plan so early in the event, but the revelation certainly serves its purpose. It not only makes the Surfer's role seem logical rather than random, but it really grabs the reader's attention. The script is also pretty accessible. Sure, it's good to know the whole Galactus/herald dynamic beforehand, but even brand-new readers will be able to wade through the story.
We've seen the Silver Surfer struggle with a gujilty conscience over his time as the Herald of Galactus before, but it's the level of devastation in which he finds himself that makes it easy for the reader to believe that those memories and feelings would arise again. That inner conflict is definitely more interesting than the external battles with Annihilus's forces. The guilt is something to which the reader can relate. Sure, most of us aren't responsible for billions of deaths (maybe a couple), but we're all haunted by mistakes we made, be they intentional or otherwise. 7/10
